EAT AND PROSPER AT TAO CHINESE CUISINE THIS CHINESE NEW YEAR

Looking for a healthy start to your Lunar New Year celebration? Executive Chinese Chef Wong Lian You at Tao Chinese Cuisine sets the right pace with his lei cha-inspired sauce for his creation of deep-fried Soft Shell Crab Yee Sang.

 

Available from now to 8 February, the wholesome, rainbow-hued salad platter includes deep-fried, crunchy fish skin. According to Chef Wong, the pesto-inspired dressing melds the herbaceous sauce used in traditional Hakka lei cha with plum sauce and sawtooth herb, resulting in a delightful yee sang sauce with citrusy-grassy nuances.

It’s a tantalising palate-teaser for the Opulent (RM2,388++) set menu for a table of 10 persons. Depending on your preference, more of the distinctive dressing is better in elevating the tastiness of the yee sang salad while the soft shell crab bestows extra crunch.

 

Chinese chefs are constantly looking for new ingredients to showcase on such auspicious occasions and Chef Wong found his inspiration from maca or Peruvian ginseng. A quick online search reveals the root with its numerous benefits are now all the rage hence its inclusion in the Double-boiled Chicken, Fish Maw and Baby Abalone Soup is timely and welcoming.

Redolent with the warm, sweet accents of Asian five spice and nutmeg, Toa’s signature Roasted Duck Hong Kong Style also takes pride of place in the celebratory set menu. No prizes for guessing why as the crackly-crisp duck skin coupled with juicy, tender meat is a stellar shoo-in.

Soused in aromatic soya sauce, the Steamed Whole Sultan Fish with Superior Soya Sauce is bound to score with diners too, not only for its symbolism of abundance and excess but also for the sweet, fine fish meat.

Chef Wong (right) says the farmed river fish weighs in at about 1.2kg each, primed for the restaurant’s expectations. “It’s pricey but the fine-boned fish tastes good when prepared the classic way, by steaming.”

 

The notable Tok Alang Wok-fried Tiger Prawns is irresistible; the dish appeal lies in the savoury sauce that transforms the prawns into a gastronomic treat.

 

Your search for happiness this CNY will come to fruition when you relish the speciality of Braised Sea Cucumber, Mushroom and Broccoli with Crab Roe Paste. You’d be smiling from ear to ear once your tastebuds are tickled by the delicacy’s QQ sponginess. Bound by the oceanic symphony of crab meat and roe melding with tender fungi and broccoli, it’s a dish to leave you filled with joyous satisfaction.

 

Embedded with salted egg yolk inside, the hearty portion of Steamed Rice in Mini Lotus Leaf should leave you replete. A rustic, homely offering evoking a sense of festive nostalgia.

 

Sweet ending to bowl you over features Double Boiled Snow Bird’s Nest with Lemongrass Brown Sugar Syrup and Glutinous Rice Balls accompanied by Pan-fried Ninko Dumplings with Sesame Seeds and Salted Bean Paste. Celebrants will like its auspicious meaning and good tidings to welcome the Year of the Rat.

Other set menus available at Tao include Harmonious (RM1,988++ for a table of 10) and Abundance (RM2,788++) in addition to a special a la carte menu. Five variants of Yee Sang: Lobster Claw, Soft Shell Crab with Lei Cha Sauce, Marinated Sea Cucumber with Vinegar Dressing, Fresh Atlantic Salmon and Crispy Rice will also be served, priced from RM88 upwards for half set and RM168 upwards for a full set.

Master Dim Sum Chef Lo Tian Sion (left) will also tempt you with 15 special Dim Sum creations from 25 January to 8 February.

For more information, please call Tao Chinese Cuisine, tel: 03-2782 6128 or email: tao@intercontinental-kl.com.my

SUSHI WORKSHOP WITH WORLD SUSHI CUP CHAMPIONS

When it comes to world-class sushi topping, fresh Norwegian salmon and raw seafood from Norway are the preferred choice of award-winning sushi chefs Leon Yap Wee Leong and Sky Tai Koon Siang.

 

Having trained at the Global Sushi Academy under sushi master Hirotoshi Ogawa, both Malaysian chefs’ prowess were duly proven when Chef Leon Yap was declared the World Sushi Cup 2019 champion and Chef Sky Tai clinched the World Sushi Cup 2018 title in Tokyo.

Since fresh, raw ingredients require handling in the most hygienic manner, the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) hosted a hands-on sushi-making workshop with the two champion sushi chefs to emphasise on safe food handling.

According to Asbjorn Warvik Rortveit (far right), Regional Director, South-east Asia of NSC, “the Norwegian Seafood Council is committed to raising the standards of sushi-making skills among chefs and the handling of raw seafood for consumption through the running of the Global Sushi Academy, in collaboration with World Sushi Skills Institute – the only recognised sushi body in Japan.”

After welcome remarks by Her Excellency Gunn Jorid Roset, Norwegian Ambassador to Malaysia, chefs Leon Yap and Sky Tai showed us simple steps to make maki sushi and hand-rolled sushi.

 

 

 

While the various steps of sushi-making appear simple, nimble fingers and attention to detail are essential. The hands-on session was fun and educational though.

 

 

 

 

 

Later, we enjoyed a sumptuous Champions Lunch curated by both chefs. We also had a chance to admire Chef Leon’s intricate sushi creations which won him first place in the Creative Section during the World Sushi Cup 2019 and second place in the Edomae section.

 

 

Chef Leon Yap is currently the chef at Sushi Hibiki, Kuala Lumpur and holds the Kurobi Sushi Certificate – the Advance Certificate from All Japan Sushi Association.

 

 

 

 

Succulent slices of Norwegian salmon were artistically transformed into tempting creations by Chef Sky Tai for our lunch. As head chef of Standing Sushi Bar in Singapore, the Kluang-born World Sushi Cup champion has spent 14 years perfecting his sushi-making techniques.

For more information on Norwegian Seafood Council, visit www.seafood.no